{Baby Jives // a super adorable giveaway.}

It was so exciting to share with you our custom baby mobile from Jahje of Baby Jives last month. There is nothing more precious than being able to decorate our first nursery with customized items. Oh my goodness, talk about turning into a weepy mess. Jahje did a beautiful job incorporating our nursery colors — orange + lite gray, into the mobile, too. I am soooooo happy with it!

And today I’m so, so excited for you to get to know Jahje a bit more.

Since we aren’t finding out the baby’s gender it has been fun incorporating items for the nursery that are more reflective of the type of home life we want to have or the values we want to share with our child — like reading + learning, independent play, adventure + cozy home life. There’s less focus on the gender and a lot more focus on celebrating the growth of our family. I love it :)

And do you want to know something amazing?

Baby Jives is offering one lucky reader from the Gussy Sews community a $75 gift certificate to their shop. Oh yes! And I just love how Jahje shares a bit about the inspiration she has for her designs. Read on, because I know you’ll love them, too.

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MEET THE DESIGNER// Hi there! I am Jahje Ives, the hard working mama behind Baby Jives Co., which specializes in handmade mobiles to inspire wonder. When I was pregnant in 2009 I searched for a unique mobile that was not made of plastic or covered with cartoon animals. I didn’t find anything I liked so I decided to make a nature inspired mobile using fabric that I had been hoarding for years (I LOVE fabric). It was my first bird mobile and the response was so great that I decided to open my shop Baby Jives Co on Etsy about a year later (because it took that long to get my son to sleep, yikes!).

Now, Baby Jives Co. specializes in mobiles handcrafted one at a time using natural materials such as cotton fabric, metal, and wood. They will endure for years as a work of art meant to grow up with a child and hang in their room long after the last diaper is changed. Many of my designs are inspired by nature and my daily adventures with my kids.

One of my favorite mobiles was conceived on a summer day when we were at the botanical gardens chasing butterflies and I thought, “What a wonderful moment…. I want to capture this and bring it home!” So my butterfly mobile was born.

My new night sky mobile stems from my love of star gazing. I was also thinking of a line from a book I often read to my children, “I love you to the moon and back” and wanted to create something that could remind them of that infinite love… or at least a glimmer of it.

What inspires me? The simple answer: My family. I have always loved making things. Growing up the kitchen table was constantly littered with various projects. My mother is a painter and she would often paint or draw while I would craft and color next to her. I actually fought the idea of making a living from art for a very long time because I didn’t think it was practical but eventually my heart won over my head and I am so glad that it did. Every day I get to make lovely things for people all over the world and every time I create something I send it out into the world with love (and am so happy when I hear back from my customers about how much they appreciate their mobiles).

The other thing that I love about running a handmade business is the flexibility it allows me with my family. In my day my kids come first and then my business. One day it will be different but for now with a 3 ½ yr old and a 9 month old I am so glad that I have the ability to make my living with my own hands on my own terms.

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GIVEAWAY// We’re so excited to offer a $75 gift certificate to be used in the Baby Jives shop. This giveaway is open to US and non-US residents. To enter, visit the Baby Jives shop and leave a comment on this post with a link to your favorite item (I’ll be checking links, --wink). I’ll announce the winner at the top of this post on Tuesday, December 12th.

DISCOUNT CODE// Use code GUSSYSEWS for 10% off any order in the Baby Jives Shop until December 31st.

HELLO, GORGEOUS!
Maggie Whitley Designs is a tight-knit community of handmade makers, wives, mamas and encouragers. I share inspiration alongside my story as a handmade business owner and mama.
My husband and I live in a cozy apartment in
Los Angeles with our two young children. We are adventure seekers, dog lovers and color enthusiasts. Click here to read more...